1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a wheel support device, and more specifically to a wheel support device in which a hub spindle of a hub wheel, to which a wheel is fitted, and an outer ring of a constant velocity joint are connected to each other such that power is transmitted therebetween.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a conventional wheel support device that includes a hub unit to which an automobile wheel is fitted, and a constant velocity joint that transmits rotative power to a hub spindle of the hub unit. A wheel support device of this type is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-536737 (JP 2008-536737 A), and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-538343 (JP 2008-538343 A). In the wheel support device described in each of these publications, spline teeth (side face splines) are formed on an inner end face (end face on the inner side in the vehicle lateral direction) of a hub spindle of a hub wheel and on an outer end face (end face on the outer side in the vehicle lateral direction) of an outer ring of a constant velocity joint such that the spline teeth of the hub spindle and the spline teeth of the outer ring mesh with each other, and rotative power is transmitted from the outer ring to the hub spindle via the spline teeth.
The conventional spline teeth described in JP 2008-536737 A and JP 2008-538343 A are formed in a radial fashion along the radial direction. Therefore, the shaft center of the hub spindle and the shaft center of the outer ring of the constant velocity joint may be offset from each other in the radial direction when the hub spindle and the outer ring are connected to each other. Such an offset between the shaft centers may cause vibration in a power transmission system.